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GOING HIGH-TECH GUIDE
Are you industry certified?
Thanks to the popularity of the Internet and the growing number of intranets and extranets, network administration is rapidly emerging as one of the most popular entry-level jobs in high technology. Thousands of workers now use Novell's Certified Novell Administrator (CNA) as a stepping stone to a high-tech career or as an introductory course for the Certified Novell Engineer (CNE) certificate. Novell introduced the CNA in 1992, and now issues 15,000 each quarter. "It's our most in-demand certificate," says Novell education school business director David Marler. "It offers great opportunity for a new career or career changers." The CNA teaches students routine network administration tasks, such as setting up users and creating log-in scripts. "The CNA does require basic technical skills," Marler notes. Once earned, the CNA serves as proof that the holder can provide the first level of support in network administration. Novell studies have found that small- and medium-sized companies hire the most CNAs, while larger companies look for CNEs. There are now 180,000 CNAs, 120,000 CNEs, 7,000 Master CNEs, and 5,000 Certified Novell Instructors worldwide, and the demand for Novell certification is growing by 24 percent annually, according to Novell.
In addition, 800 students have earned Novell's new Certified Internet Professional (CIP) certificate. Marler expects the CIP to be a popular certificate because it includes several tracks, including Internet business strategist, Web designer, Web developer, intranet manager, and Internet architect. The business strategist track was developed for managers who want to learn how to deploy Internet technology within their business organizations. The Web designer certificate is geared toward those in human resources, public relations, graphics or business. Designing Web sites is, "the most popular and fastest growing area as far as the Web is concerned," Marler observes.
With 100 million people worldwide using some version of Microsoft Windows, Microsoft is a dominant player in the desktop PC market. Now, Microsoft's Windows NT Server operating system is becoming increasingly popular for managing networks. As a result, the demand for Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) is growing at a phenomenal rate. In just 3 1/2 years, the number of MCPs worldwide has grown from 3,000 to 173,499. Microsoft's training manager Nancy Lewis estimates there may be as many as 84,000 jobs available in the United States for MCPs. Currently, some 400 community colleges and high schools and 1,600 training centers offer Microsoft training. Microsoft education programs trained more than 1.2 million people worldwide in 1997. Microsoft now offers six certificate programs, beginning with the Microsoft Certified Professional certificate, which is awarded to those who demonstrate skills in Microsoft's BackOffice family of development tools and applications. Students can also select from four specialty certificates, including Microsoft Certified Professional with a specialty in Internet, Systems Engineer (MCSE), Solutions Developer, and Trainer. Microsoft's MCSE is now one of the most sought-after certificates in the marketplace, although Lewis points out that employers are "asking for all different kinds" of certificate holders. According to Lewis, in 1996 the average salary for an MCSE without a four-year college degree was $76,000. Microsoft recently added the MCSE plus Internet, a rigorous program requiring a candidate to pass nine separate examinations.
Lewis says that in today's market, "a broad number of positions are available for people who don't have computer science degrees." Because of the skills shortage, many employers are filling positions with candidates who hold two-year degrees and certificates, she says. "Employers all want real-world experience first," Lewis adds. Alternatively, they will consider workers who are trained and certified. According to Lewis, a 1997 Microsoft study of corporate customers revealed that the technical skills most in demand at the enterprise level included desktop operating systems, networking, NT server, and applications support. These were followed by Visual Basic, C++, Visual Java, and SQL Server. Medium-sized companies also cited applications and desktop operating systems expertise as top priorities.
Ready for the vo-tech approach?
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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